


Warriors: Burning Sky

by SwimyGhost



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Half Deaf Character, M/M, Other, POV Multiple, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, SkyClan (Warriors), Sort Of, ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors), no betas we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25215289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwimyGhost/pseuds/SwimyGhost
Summary: Thornpaw is a ThunderClan apprentice with a dead sister and a hatred for ShadowClan. Violetpaw is a ShadowClan apprentice with a family secret and a brother with a complete personality switch.  Kestrelpaw is a medicine cat apprentice living in WindClan with one deaf ear and a forced destiny. Smokepaw is a SkyClan apprentice with no SkyClan bloodline and a lack of any SkyClan skills. Dewpaw is a RiverClan apprentice with a fear of water and a Clan in desperate need of members. Seasons into the future the long peace between the Clans have been broken after ShadowClan mysteriously attacked the ThunderClan and SkyClan border. With each apprentice struggling through their own personal demons, will the rest of the Clans survive as the temperature grows hotter and hotter?
Relationships: OC/OC
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader:** Lightningstar- A heavily battle-scarred black tom with orange flecks in his fur. Has bright yellow eyes.

**Deputy:** Smolderstripe- A thick furred gray tom with black stripes and brown eyes.

**Apprentice: Thornpaw**

**Medicine Cat:** Duskbreeze- A skinny short-furred tabby tom with dark gray fur and black stripes. Has hazel eyes.

**Apprentice: Mousepaw**

**Warriors**

Blizzardpelt- A senior white and gray patched tom with hazel eyes.

**Apprentice: Owlpaw**

Volestrike- A short senior brown tom with green eyes. Father to Roseshade’s kits.

**Apprentice: Darkpaw**

Mothswipe- A light gray tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Snowstep- A large white tom with extra large paws and icy blue eyes

Sharpbreeze- A fluffy ginger tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes and torn ears.

Raveneye- A small black tom with heather-colored eyes.

**Apprentice: Splashpaw**

Sunspeck- A white she-cat with golden flecks in her fur. Has greenish-gold eyes.

Sandear- A sandy colored she-cat with white paws and tall ears. Has brown eyes.

  
  


Sparrowclaw- A russet colored tom with dark brown spots and black paws. Has brown eyes 

Goldenthorn- A small golden-brown tabby she-cat with brown paws and green eyes.

Boulderstorm- A massive black tom with gray spots and paws. Has a terribly scarred muzzle and hazel eyes. Former Rogue and Mousepaw’s father.

Sootleap- A long-legged gray and red she-cat with silver eyes. Battle-scarred and Mousepaw’s mother. A former Rogue

  
  


**Apprentices**

Owlpaw- A small black and gray tom with heather-colored eyes **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Darkpaw- A long-legged dark gray tom with black stripes and amber eyes **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Splashpaw- A long furred light gray she-cat with white paws and spots. Has blue eyes **(Apprentice for two moons)**

Thornpaw- A russet-colored tom with golden flecks in fur. Has green eyes. **(Apprentice for two moons)**

Mousepaw- A short-legged light gray she-cat with hazel eyes. A medicine cat apprentice **(Apprentice for one moon)**. Former Rogue 

  
  


**Queens**

Roseshade- A senior ginger tortoiseshell she-cat with white flecks and paws. Has orange eyes. ( **Kits: Dapplekit- A tortoiseshell she-kit with green eyes; Squirrelkit- An orange, white, and brown spotted tom with orange eyes. Both are Five Moons** ). Mate is Volestrike

Vixen- A red she-cat with white paws and tail-tip and had green eyes. Former Rogue ( **Kits: Fox- A red she-kit with white front paws and chest fur. Has green eyes; Amber- A light reddish-orange she-cat with white spots and front paws. Has amber eyes; Nutmeg- A brownish-ginger she-kit with white front paws and ears. Has green eyes. All three are Two Moons** ). Mate Unknown

  
  


**Elders**

Whitetoe- A once-beautiful golden she-cat with white paws and green eyes.

Daisyflower- A golden she-cat with brown stripes and long fur. Has blue eyes. Former Medicine Cat

Fireclaw- A gray-muzzled ginger tom with orange eyes.

**SkyClan**

**Leader** **:** Pigeonstar- A light brown and white she-cat with long legs and blue eyes.

**Apprentice: Rockpaw**

**Deputy:** Cloudsky- A large white tom with gray streaks and black tail-tip. Has green eyes.

**Apprentice: Ashpaw**

**Medicine cat:** Butterflywing- A small brown and orange tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Warriors**

Wrentail- A long-legged senior she-cat with white stripes and brown fur. Has amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Smokepaw**

Silverspots- A black she-cat with long fur and silvery spots and green eyes.

Sootclaw- A dark ginger tom with gray speckles. Has brown eyes

**Apprentice: Finchpaw**

Buzzardnose- A thick furred black and dark gray tom with a squished nose and blue eyes. (Pigeonstar’s mate)

 **Apprentice: Leopardpaw**

Rabbitspring- A light brown she-cat with white spots and hazel eyes.

**Apprentice: Sunpaw**

Blazefur- An orange and black tom with extremely long legs and yellow eyes.

**Apprentice: Spiderpaw**

Jetfur- A pure black tom with yellow eyes. Former Rogue

Softfoot- A fluffy white she-cat with black and orange spotches and no claws. Former Kittypet

Honeywing- A golden she-cat with a short tail and green eyes

Nightflower- A black she-cat with a light gray underbelly and white legs. Has brown eyes. Former Rogue and mother of Smokepaw

  
  


**Apprentices**

Rockpaw- A blackish-gray tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice for five moons)**

Ashpaw- A reddish-gray tom with green eyes **(Apprentice for five moons)**

Spiderpaw- A black tom with gold streaks and white paws. Has yellow eyes. **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Sunpaw- A golden and white tom with green eyes. **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Leopardpaw- A golden tom with dark gray spots and green eyes. **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Finchpaw- A pretty gold, red, and black she-cat with yellow eyes. **(Apprentice for three moons)**

Smokepaw- A small legged dark gray tom with a light gray underbelly and white paws. Has brown eyes. Former Rogue and Nightflower’s son. **(Apprentice for a moon and a half)**

  
  


**Queens**

Pigeonstar- Pregnant with Buzzardnose’s kits

  
  


**Elders**

Fernbranch- A young red and brown she-cat with white eyes. Blind and had to go to the Elders den.

Twilightfur- A black, white, and gray tom with patchy fur and torn ears. Has amber eyes

Raggedmoon- A scruffy brown and white tom with yellows eyes.

Treeflower- A once beautiful light brown she-cat with white stripes and amber eyes. Oldest in SkyClan.

Quietstep- A small light gray she-cat with a squished nose and blue eyes.

Tall-leg- A golden tom with honey-brown stripes and long legs. Has green eyes.

**ShadowClan**

**Leader** **:** Cedarstar- A reddish-brown battle-scarred tom with amber eyes

**Deputy** **:** Hollyclaw- A fluffy black she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Rowanfeather- A small elderly dark ginger tom with black stripes. Has amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Spottedsong**

**Warriors**

Slatefur- A dark gray tabby tom with green eyes.

Nighttalon- A thick furred black tom with yellow eyes.

**Apprentice: Toadpaw**

Pinetail- A brownish-red tom with white splotches and paws. Has green eyes.

Rattooth- A ragged dark gray tom with yellow fangs and eyes.

**Apprentice: Lynxpaw**

Blackbriar- A she-cat with black tangled fur and yellow eyes. Has white paws and gray stripes.

**Apprentice: Violetpaw**

Puddlesplash- A brown she-cat with white splotches. Has gray paws and blue eyes.

 **Apprentice** : **Stormpaw**

Brambleburr- A dark brown tabby tom with greenish-yellow eyes and thick fur.

Snailfur- A light brown and white tom with hazel eyes.

Spidermoon- A black she-cat with gray stripes and amber eyes. Has white splotches.

Talonstep- A brown and white tom with green eyes.

**Apprentice: Sparrowpaw**

Marshpelt- A brown and orange tabby tom with amber eyes.

Tigerstripe- A brown she-cat with black stripes and white paws. Has amber eyes.

Leafspots- A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. 

**Apprentices**

Spottedsong- A Medicine Cat apprentice. A tortoiseshell tom with yellow eyes and white paws. Has white flecks in fur.

Lynxpaw- A light brown and white spotted tabby she-cat with blue eyes. **(Apprentice for four moons)**

Stormpaw- A light gray tom with yellow eyes. **(Apprentice for four moons)**

Violetpaw- A black, brown, and white she-cat with violet eyes. **(Apprentice for two moons)**

Toadpaw- A black and brown tabby tom with amber eyes. **(Apprentice for two moons)**

Sparrowpaw- A black tom with yellow eyes. **(Apprentice for a moon)**

  
  


**Queens**

Sagerunner- A black she-cat with purple eyes. (Permanent Queen and mother of Sparrowpaw.) Mate is Nighttalon 

Snowfall- A pretty white she-cat with gray paws and brown eyes. ( **Kits: Cloudkit- A fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes; Barkkit- A dark brown and white tom with brown eyes. Both are Three Moons Old** ). Mate is Brambleburr.

Thistledown- A fluffy light gray she-cat with greenish-yellow eyes and orange splotches. ( **Kits: Streamkit- A light gray she-cat with black paws. Russetkit- A brownish-red she-cat with white chest fur and gray paws. Both are One Moon Old** ) Mate is Pinetail.

  
  


**Elders**

Dapplepelt- A graying dappled tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes. (Mate is Beetlestrike)

Beetlestrike- A brown, white, and gray tom with white paws and green eyes. (Mate is Dapplepelt) 

Whitefang- A fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes.

Deerleap- A light brown tom with long legs and green eyes.

  
  


**WindClan**

**Leader:** Hawkstar- A light and dark brown splotched she-cat with green eyes and white paws.

**Deputy:** Gorsewhisker- A senior golden-brown and white tom with yellow eyes.

**Medicine Cat:** Hareear- A pale brown and gray she-cat with long ears. Has brown eyes.

**Apprentice: Kestrelpaw**

**Warriors**

Doeclaw- A pretty senior light brown and gray she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice: Stonepaw**

Grassheart- A brown she-cat with white stripes and paws.

Tumblefoot- A large brown tom with white stripes and paws. Has giant paws.

**Apprentice: Tawnypaw**

Ashpelt- A fluffy dark gray tom with amber eyes.

Wrenfeather- A small pale brown and white she-cat with brown eyes

Rushflower- A black she-cat with white flecks. Has yellow eyes.

Eagleclaw- A massive gray and brown tabby tom with green eyes.

**Apprentice: Sandypaw**

Littleblaze- A short golden-brown and white spotted tom with hazel eyes.

Yewberry- A reddish-brown tawny she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Goosepaw**

Whitebreeze- A white she-cat with gray paws and spots. Has yellow eyes.

Antclaw- An orange and brown tom with blue eyes.

Rustcloud- A light brown and orange tom with blue eyes.

**Apprentices**

Kestrelpaw- A Medicine Cat Apprentice. A light brown and white flecked furred she-cat with amber eyes. Fully deaf in one ear. **(Apprentice for Three Moons)**

Stonepaw- A dark and brown gray splotched tom with brown eyes. **(Apprentice for Three Moons)**

Tawnypaw- A tawny-colored she-cat with gray spots and amber eyes. Has white flecks in fur. **(Apprentice for Three Moons)**

Sandypaw- A golden-brown she-cat with white spots and yellow eyes. **(Apprentice for One Moon)**

Goosepaw- A sandy-yellow and white tom with short legs. Has hazel eyes. **(Apprentice for One Moons)**

**Queen**

_None_

**Elders**

Spike- A fluffy gray furred tom with amber eyes. Heavily battle scarred. Former Rogue.

Weasley- A bright yellow tom with green eyes. Former Loner and Spike’s Mate. Body heavily scarred.

Breezeleap- A light gray and brown she-cat with blue eyes.

Emberbreeze- An orange and white tom with blue eyes. 

**RiverClan**

**Leader:** Minnowstar- A beautiful light gray she-cat with white paws and spots. Has blue eyes.

**Deputy** : Creeksplash- A brown and white splotched tom with torn ears. Has green eyes.

**Medicine Cat** : Moonshell- A long-furred gray she-cat with white paws and stripes. Has blue eyes.

**Warriors**

Carppelt- A brown tabby tom with gray stripes and paws. Has blue eyes.

Logpool- A light and dark brown she-cat with white paws. Has blue eyes.

Sharpfin- An orange she-cat with white splotches and green eyes.

**Apprentice: Dewpaw**

Reedspot- A white she-cat with brown spots and green eyes.

Spottedbrook- A gray she-cat with white and brown spots and splotches. Has green eyes.

Ferretfoot- A brown tom with orange stripes and amber eyes,

Beechfur- A yellow and light brown she-cat with hazel eyes.

**Apprentice: Flamepaw**

Herontalon- A white tom with green eyes.

Mudspot- A white tom with brown splotches and green eyes.

**Apprentice: Mistpaw**

**Apprentices**

Dewpaw- A gray she-cat with brown flecks in fur. Has green eyes. **(Apprentice for Two Moons)**

Mistpaw- A gray and white she-cat with brown eyes **(Apprentice for Two Moons)**

Flamepaw- A brown tom with orange stripes and white paws. Has green eyes. **(Apprentice for Two Moons)**

**Queens**

Froststorm- A fluffy gray tabby she-cat with gray paws and yellow eyes. ( **Kits: Streamkit- A small little gray and brown she-cat with green eyes. One Moon old.** ) Mate is Creeksplash

**Elders**

_None_

  
  


**Cats Outside Clans**

Molly- A white and orange she-cat with green eyes. A cat from the Horseplace and S’more’s mate.

S’more- A brown and white tom with light green eyes. A cat from the Horseplace and Molly’s mate.

Cloud- A white tom with light green eyes. A kittypet from the Twolegplace

Lucifer- A black tom with yellow eyes. A kittypet from the Twolegplace

Christine- A gray she-cat with green eyes. A kittypet from the Twolegplace

Cookie- A light brown she-cat with white paws and chest fur. Has hazel eyes. A kittypet from the Twolegplace

Autumn- An orange tabby tom with yellow eyes. A rogue


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

The low buzzing of bugs one of the few sounds that could be heard coming from the Northern woodlands. The other sound was the shaking of grass as four cats pushed their way through the yellowing greeny. Their leader, a thickly furred tom, raised his tail which caused the group to halt.

“What is it, Smolderstripe?” the lone ginger tortoiseshell she-cat hissed. “Has ShadowClan come back for more?”

The smaller russet tom standing next to the she-cat unsheathed his claws and let out a long snarl. Smolderstripe noticed and glared at the tom.

“Thornpaw, be silent. I know you’re angry but waking the entire forest won’t help.”

“But those fox-hearted cowards killed Blossompaw! I have to fight them!”

“There will be a time for revenge, Thornpaw. But right now we need to focus on enhancing the strength of our borders.” Smolderstripe explained.

“Smolderstripe’s right, you know,” a short brown tom said while moving up next to the large cat. “ShadowClan needs to understand that our borders will remain here and remain strong.”

Thornpaw spat and flattened his ears, but didn’t reply; he decided that the ground was much more interesting than the senior warrior’s words.

Smolderstripe nodded and swept his tail across the grass. “We’ll spread out to cover more ground. Sharpbreeze, you’ll take the Sky Oak, Volestrike, the lakeshore, Thornpaw and I will take the top and bottom of the Old Thunderpath respectively. Understood?”

Sharpbreeze nodded and took off running with Volestrike following behind her. Smolderstripe glanced at his apprentice and nudged him forward. Thornpaw didn’t speak, just dashed towards the forgotten Twoleg path. As the dark the strange black path, a faint scent floated softly past his nose. The swiftness in the apprentice’s step died as he attempted to breathe in more of the pleasant aroma. However, the scent began to fade as quickly as it appeared, leaving the apprentice stricken with a deep burst of sadness.

“Blossompaw! Is that you? Don’t leave me! Blossompaw!” 

Thornpaw’s mewls echoed throughout the forest, causing a few of the still-awake birds to make their hasty flight into the sky. A thunderous stomping followed swiftly behind the cries.

“Thornpaw! What are you doing?!”

The apprentice turned and was meant with the angered face of his mentor. Thornpaw flattened his ears and wildly shook his head back and forth.

“I-I smelled her. Blossompaw. She was here! Smolderstripe, she was here!”

The anger in Smolderstripe’s brown eyes faded and was replaced by sadness. He brushed his long pelt against Thornpaw before letting out a faint whisper.

“I know you miss her, Thornpaw. We all do. But she’s gone now and you must stop this nonsense.”

“But-”

“I know you’re grieving, but the safety of the Clan comes first. Come now, the borders still need to be marked.”

Thornpaw didn’t reply, only followed the large cat into the shadows of the trees as the scent of his sister faded from the clearing.

\----

Violetpaw ignored the brambles that tugged at her black, brown, and white fur and continued her solo trek into the pine-wood forest. The shadows seemed even larger and longer in the dim moonlight, making it easy cover. The moistness of the air also masked her musky scent well, blending it with the rest of the forest. As the apprentice drew closer to the open clearing, the voices of her parents grew louder and more violent just as her heart began racing faster.

_ Why are they so far away from camp? And why are they fighting?  _

Her questions would be answered as she scrambled into a nearby fern, using its fronds as a way to cloak herself. She saw her mother’s black coat shimmer in the pool of moonlight she was standing in. Her amber eyes were teeming with anger and rage as she stalked closer towards the brown and white male that stood in front of her.

“How could you do this?! Was ShadowClan not enough? Were your kits not enough? Was  _ I  _ not enough!?”

“Spidermoon, calm down. You’ll wake the entire Clan.” the tom said nervously.

“I don’t give two mousetails about the Clan!” the she-cat hissed, lashing her tail.

“Spidermoon, please-”

“Don’t ‘Spidermoon’ me, Talonstep! I saw you! I saw you over with that… Pampered leech!”

_ Pampered leech?  _ Violetpaw cocked her head in confusion but remained silent.

Talonstep narrowed his green eyes. “Zoe isn’t a leech. She’s… She’s-”

“-A kittypet!”

Violetpaw flinched at her mother’s revelation. Her father, meanwhile, continued to wear a neutral expression. 

“...Yes. Zoe’s a kittypet. Listen, I understand what I did was wrong and I… I know I hurt you. But you must understand that I love her and I never meant to hurt you.”

“You  _ love  _ her?!” Spidermoon looked at him with horror. “What about  _ me _ ? What about our kits? Wh-What about our Clan? Do you not understand how this affects us?”

Talonstep’s face remained emotionless. “I do.”

Spidermoon took a few steps back with her ears lowering.

“What with Cedarstar say when-”

“You cannot tell Cedarstar!” 

Violetpaw was shocked by the sudden mood change. Her father’s face twisted into one of fear and disturbance. Spidermoon’s amber eyes flashed with equal amounts of shock but swiftly returned to its original enraged shimmer.

“Why not? Afraid that your traitorous nature will be your downfall?”

“You know as well as I that if you go to Cedarstar or Hollyclaw or any of his inner circle knows about… This… It won’t just ruin my reputation or place in the Clan. It will also ruin your’s, Violetpaw’s, and Toadpaw’s place as well.”

This made Spidermoon take a step back just as Violetpaw held her breath. She was still trying to piece together what was happening. Her legs were beginning to grow stiff from crouching in the fern when Spidermoon opened her mouth.

“Fine.” the she-cat said calmly. “But I will not share a nest with you nor will I ever refer to you as my mate again. We’ll just say the spark has died and nothing else.”

“...If that is what you wish.”

With the silence growing between the two ShadowClan warriors, Violetpaw thought it would be the best moment to sneak back to camp, creeping slowly out of the fern and using her dark coat to blend in with the shadows. Once she was sure her parents were out of ear or eyeshot, Violetpaw took off while ignoring the pine needles digging into the pads of her paws back to the safety of the camp.

\---- 

Kestrelpaw felt their paws grow heavy as the sliver of moonlight raised itself higher and higher in the sky. The stench of herbs and berries seemed to permanently be trapped in their nose and slung to their fur like burrs from burdock plants. The boulder that previous medicine cat’s had made their den kept out the light breeze that darted across the moor. 

The apprentice felt the ground thud under their paws, causing them to pull back from the rock slabs used to hold the many herbs the medicine cat used and point her ears in the direction of the den’s entrance. There, a long eared she-cat was padding into the den with a bundle of green herbs in her mouth. She shook some dust out of her brown and white fur and gave the apprentice a soft meow as a greeting before pushing past them heading for the sorted herbs. Kestrelpaw simply gave her the she-cat an ear flick and made their way towards the exit when the she-cat called to them.

“Kestrelpaw.” she purred.

Kestrelpaw let out a harsh sigh. “Yes, Hareear?”

Hareear continued to give her apprentice a gentle stare. “Did you sort the borage and burnet? We may not have any queens now but its good to have those close by. StarClan knows how many times a queen suddenly appears during greenleaf and I don’t have any herbs to assist them in kitting.”

“Yes, Hareear.”

Kestrelpaw attempted to leave once more when Hareear’s mew called her back.

“What about the daisy leaves? Spike was talking about his aching back legs earlier and I want to make sure we have some ready for him in the morning.”

_ You mean complaining about his aching legs  _ Kestrelpaw thought bitterly.

“Yes, Hareear.”

“What about-”

“I did everything you asked me to! Can I please go now?”

Hareear blinked softly. “You know you always have a place here. You don’t need to keep sleeping with the others.”

Kestrelpaw turned away from their mentor and faced the dull starry sky. “But I belong with the other apprentices. Not here.”

With that, Kestrelpaw pushed their away out of the medicine cat den and into the yellowing tall grass and gorse camp, darkened by the dim shadows of the night. Surrounding the Tallrock, a massive boulder in the center of the camp, was rows upon rows of nests created from soft grass, feathers, and moss. Kestrelpaw made their way towards a collection of nests with cats in their age group, carefully avoiding the snoring larger members of their Clan. Once they reached the front of the group of apprentices, they could hear the muttering and giggling of two she-cats. The two immediately stopped once Kestrelpaw reached the front of the group. One of the two, a tawny colored she-cat, stretched out across her bedding and smirked.

“Hello, Kestrelpaw.”

Kestrelpaw’s nose curled in disgust. “What do you want, Tawnypaw?”

Tawnypaw gave them a dramatic shocked look. “Seriously? Such… Cruelty? Towards your only sister?”

Kestrelpaw gazed around the group of apprentices. They noticed that the usual spot for their nest was empty and there wasn’t any sign of it nearby. The fur on Kestrelpaw’s spine rose as they let out a growl.

“Where’s my nest?”

“Oh? That old thing?” Tawnypaw’s mouth spread into a crooked grin. “Sandypaw and I were told to clean the apprentice den and we did. We got rid of all the unwanted stuff and replaced it with the clean, good stuff.”

Kestrelpaw felt their hackles raise and a growl build in their throat. They glanced over at their dark gray and brown brother, Stonepaw, who was more interested in his paws then to face his sibling. The medicine cat apprentice bared their teeth, ready to verbally lash out at their sister. Instead, a small voice piped up from under Kestrelpaw.

“You can sleep next to me if you like.” 

Kestrelpaw glanced down to see a small sandy yellow and white tom looked up innocently at Kestrelpaw with his hazel eyes. Kestrelpaw gave him a sickeningly sweet smile of their own as they curled up next to him.

“Oh, thank you, Goosepaw. What would I ever do without you.”

Kesterlpaw silently relished in the burning stare their sister was giving them and while they couldn’t hear what she was whispering into Sandypaw, Goosepaw’s sister’s ear, it gave the older apprentice much joy to suffer in the failure of her bullying attempt. 

With that, Kestrelpaw curled up into a tight ball, making sure to leave enough room for the younger apprentice, and fell into a deep slumber.

\----

“Again.”

Smokepaw felt the anger he was trying to hide start to bubble up once more. He dug his claws deeper into the oak tree’s sturdy wood and began to make his slow trek up the tree, making sure to ignore the branches poking at his fur.

“C’mon, Smokepaw! I’ve seen Treeflower race her way up to the top larger trees and she’s been in the elder’s den since I was a newly made warrior!”

_ Treeflower also has longer legs than me!  _ Sparrowpaw thought indignantly.

The short-legged apprentice attempted to move faster up the tree even with his vision diminished with the darkness of the forest. While the moonlight tried it’s best to give off light, the moon’s small sliver in the sky barely provided enough light for patrolling cats to see, much less a young apprentice climbing a tree. Smokepaw felt himself gaining speed, only for the bark to break away under him and having him suddenly forced to hang from only his front paws. 

“Wrentail! I’m slipping!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Smokepaw could see his long-legged mentor casually walked around the base of the tree with an aura of indifference. She gave one of her front paws a couple of licks before swiping it across her ears.

“Use your upper body strength then swing your back legs onto the branch. I’ve told you this before, Smokepaw.”

Smokepaw grunted and attempted to use all his upper body strength. All his muscles were screaming at the pressure Smokepaw was forcing them under with them already being weakened by the countless attempts of mastering the swiftness of dashing up a tree in the blink of an eye. Mustering up all the strength he had left, Smokepaw pulled himself up far enough to have a better hold on the tree’s limb at the same time stretching out his back legs to bury his claws into the wood. Despite the fact he was as stretched out as could be, Smokepaw couldn’t believe he managed to save himself from falling all by himself.

That proud feeling, however, evaporated the moment more bark broke from under his claws and he began to tumble down from the tree. The apprentice crashed into the many smaller branches and leaves that scrapped at his skin and tangled his fur before slamming his stomach into a slower branch, knocking the wind out of him. Smokepaw gasped as he began shaking like a leaf before trying to breathe in as much air as he could.

“Oh, come on!” the senior warrior yelled underneath him. “You could’ve done better than that. Again!”

Smokepaw felt the rage inside him boil over and he was about to shout out at his mentor when he heard a voice echo out from the forest.

“Wrentail! What are you doing with your apprentice so late?”

The apprentice cocked his head to see a large white tom come strolling out from the woods, his green eyes were narrowed. Even in the darkness, Smokepaw could see the muscles bulging out as the tom walked. Wrentail merely smiled at the tom.

“Hello, Cloudsky. Lovely night, isn’t it?”

“Wrentail, what is your apprentice doing in a tree? It’s nearly moonhigh.”

“Well, I thought Smokepaw would need a little more training, seeing as he is falling behind the other apprentices-”

Cloudsky’s eyes seemed to narrow even farther into slits. “He’s only been training with us for a moon and a half. In that time he’s shown to be a successful hunter and good defender of our Clan.”

Wrentail narrowed her eyes as well, standing up and slinking forward. “There’s more to SkyClan then hunting and defending. Climbing the trees and observing the landscape to see any sneaking enemies is far more important than knowing which crouch from which.” 

“Wrentail, as your deputy, I say that’s enough.” Cloudsky’s fur bristled. “I was on patrol when I heard you “training” your apprentice in the middle of the night. Unsafely, I might add; so, I order you to go and finish leading my patrol. I’ll take Smokepaw back to camp.”

Wrentail opened her mouth to argue, but thought better, turning to stomp her way through the thicket and away from the tree. Smokepaw, without a second thought, scrambled down the tree and shook away the tiny sticks from his fur. Cloudsky gave him a gentle smile and brushed his tail along his flank.

“Come now, let’s get you back to camp. Nightflower must be worried about you.”

Smokepaw frowned at his mother’s name but followed quietly. The two walked side by side in silence, only listening to the sound of crickets. Once the thicket that surrounded SkyClan’s camp started coming into view, the apprentice looked up at his deputy with both confusion and annoyance.

“Why do you care so much about me and my mom? Shouldn’t you care more about the… Clanborn cats?”

Cloudsky stopped in surprise and glanced down at the young cat. “Where is this coming from?”

Smokepaw looked away. He didn’t wanna admit he had heard the rumors that he was a failure of a SkyClan cat and that the deputy of SkyClan might have feelings for a certain former rogue she-cat. The white tom continued to press on.

“I know life must be hard for you, not knowing anyone and suddenly having to learn a whole new way of life, but I want you to know you’re not alone. I’m always here for both you and your mother if you two need help.”

The young tom felt a burning sensation build-up in his chest. He whipped his head to face the deputy as his tail bristled.

“I don’t need your help! I’m fine on my own.”

Immediately after his mini-outburst, Smokepaw dashed off towards the entrance of the camp, ignoring the worried and surprised stare of Cloudsky. He pushed past the gorse tunnel leading into camp and padded into the apprentice den, where only a single cat laid sleeping. The she-cat apprentice yawned and blinked away the sleep that crusted over her eyes.

“Sootclaw? Is it dawn patrol already?”

“It’s me, Finchpaw.” 

The gold, red, and black she-cat gave the tom a sleepy smile and nestled deeper into her bedding. 

“Hey, Smokepaw.” she purred. “How was training with Wrentail?”

“Fine,” Smokepaw grumbled, padding over to his nest and laying down in it.

Finchpaw didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? You look like you ran into a bush.”

Smokepaw gave his chest fur a couple of licks. “I said I’m fine.”

Finchpaw was silent for a few heartbeats before shrugging and closing her eyes. It wasn’t long for her quiet snores filled the former thorn bush turned den. Smokepaw too closed his eyes and, just like Finchpaw, fell asleep not long after.

\----

Dewpaw felt her heart race in her chest. Her gray pelt trembled slightly as she slid into the water with the liquid sliding up past her paws. Despite it being a rather warm night, the stream was cool and running briskly down into the lake. The pebbles underneath her feet shifted and slid as Dewpaw walked.

_ I’m fine… This is okay… I can do this! _

Growing in confidence, the young apprentice started to pad deeper into the stream, making sure that the shore was always in sight. 

_ I’m doing it! I’m swimming!  _ Dewpaw thought excitedly.

Almost just after she thought that, Dewpaw’s feet slid out from under her and she 14sunk like a rock into the deepest part of the stream without any way to pull herself up. As she started to sink farther to the bottom of the murky brook, Dewpaw began to remember her own father’s death. She wondered if this was how her father felt, his muscles aching just like her’s. If the water filling up her lungs was another symptom before his tragic demise.

Before she could ponder any longer, the young apprentice felt a strong presence grip her scruff. Dewpaw was suddenly jolted to the surface and was instantly hit with a gust of cold wind. The figure roughly started to pull her towards the surface and drag her towards the shore with Dewpaw coughing and huffing the entire time. Once they reached the shore, the figure unceremoniously dropped her onto the pebbly slope.

“Careful! You could make it worse!”

Dewpaw lifted her head to be faced with the worried face of a pretty gray she-cat. After hearing an indifferent snort, Dewpaw cocked her head to see her Clan’s deputy casually licking the water out of his fur.

“Not my problem the drypaw wanted to go for a midnight swim.”

Dewpaw’s ears flattened out of embarrassment as the she-cat began to groom her fur. The white cat glared at the tom.

“There will be a time for scolding later, Creeksplash,” the she-cat chided, “now, I need to make sure this apprentice doesn’t get a chill. StarClan knows we can’t have a cold spread around the camp.”

The brown and white cat narrowed his eyes into slits, causing Dewpaw to wonder if he was going to launch himself at the she-cat. Instead, he let out a sigh and gave the two a sickeningly sweet smile.

“I know better to argue with  _ you _ , Moonshell. RiverClan knows how much hard work you do for the Clan to ensure its health.”

Moonshell flinched at the deputy’s words. Instead of fighting back, the medicine cat merely helped Dewpaw stand and lead her into the reeds. Dewpaw looked back before the reeds encased her, only to see Creeksplash’s smirking face staring back at her.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Thornpaw let out a long yawn before entering the elder’s den, ignoring the honeysuckle that tried to tangle itself into his fur. The russet tom’s appearance caused the three cats inside the den to quiet down and glance at him expectantly. 

“Greetings, Thornpaw,” a once pretty golden she-cat purred affectionately, “what brings you here?”

“Smolderstripe said it was time for your bedding to be clean.” 

“And he’s right!” an elderly ginger tom spat. “This moss is as bristle as a pile of thorns. It’s causing my joints to act up.”

Thornpaw narrowed his eyes but didn’t comment. The last cat in the den, a brown striped she-cat, gave the apprentice a sympathetic glance.

“Ignore Fireclaw, he’s always complaining about his sore joints. You can help make him less grumpy by going to the medicine cat den and getting a mixture of herbs. They might also have some spare moss available.”

Fireclaw grumbled too quietly for Thornpaw to hear, only catching a few words like ‘sour’ and ‘leaves’, but dipped his head respectfully.

“Alright, thank you Daisyflower. See ya Whitetoe and Fireclaw!”

The tom dashed out of the den and into the openness of the ThunderClan camp. The tall stone hollow walls made him feel safe, a feeling he desperately craved. As he climbed the slight slope towards the cave the medicine cats called home, he noticed that although the sun was at its peak in the sky, everyone inside camp seemed more interested in staying inside. Dapplekit and Squirrelkit, the two oldest kits in camp and well known for being under the feet of any cat caught in their path, were huddled in the nursery with their mother. Vixen, the infamously paranoid red she-cat, had swept her kits close to her belly with her long fluffy tail. Rather than the normal two guards placed in front of the opening in the thorn wall that surrounded the hollow, four guards stood ominously with perked ears. Thornpaw lashed his tail before entering the medicine cat den. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness and found himself only a tail-length away from the small she-cat sorting through herbs swiftly. Thornpaw cleared his throat before padding forward.

“Hey, Mousepaw.” 

The light gray she-cat’s ears shot up at the mention of her name. She turned and let out a wide grin once she noticed Thornpaw awkwardly standing there. Mousepaw bounced towards the tom.

“Hey, Thornpaw! I haven’t seen you in a few days!” Mousepaw mewed cheerfully. “How have you been?”

Thornpaw felt the awkwardness grow. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a good night's sleep or felt so alone. Did he also wanna admit that he kept seeing her corpse in his head?

“Fine, I guess.” Thornpaw finally said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

Mousepaw blinked slowly, clearly not believing what the tom had said. She looked like she was going to protest, but a tom had sluggishly appeared from behind the wall of views that hung in the back of the den. He brushed his dark gray fur against Mousepaw’s, who was watching him eagerly while squinting at the entrance to the den.

“Okay, how was I out? The sun seems waaaaay too bright.”

“Sunhigh!” Mousepaw replied.

“Oh sweet StarClan,” the tom began to rush towards the heal supply, ignoring Thornpaw. “I’m as much use as a dead fox! Why in StarClan’s name didn’t you wake me?!”

Seemingly disregarding the harshness in her mentor’s tone, the apprentice calmly brushed her tail against his flank.

“You needed some sleep,” Mousepaw explained. “You’ve barely got any since…”

Mousepaw didn’t need to continue. Both toms knew she was referencing the battle that happened barely a quarter moon ago. Thornpaw flexed his claws as he began to recall the events that had transpired on that horrible day.  Meanwhile, the senior medicine cat began nosing through the cracks in the den’s wall. Herbs, berries, and all sorts of medical items were shoved neatly into the cracks and clearly they had been handled with care since Thornpaw couldn’t see a rotten herb among the pile. The black striped cat frowned after he pulled his muzzle away.

“We need more willow bark and goldenrod. I might as well start working now then snoozing throughout the day like a pampered kittypet.”

“Good luck, Duskbreeze!” 

Duskbreeze merely grunted before making his way out of the den without giving the russet-colored a second glance. Thornpaw watched the tom make his way down the slope before turning back to the eager-eyed Mousepaw.

“So, what can I do for you?” Mousepaw asked with a smile.

“Fireclaw is complaining about his aching joints… Again. I was wondering if you had anything I could shove into his mouth.”

Mousepaw ignored the rudeness that laced Thornpaw’s comment and gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise.

“Oh no! I thought my mixture would’ve helped him by now… Here, I’ll get started on a new mixture right away!”

Thornpaw rolled his eyes as the other apprentice scrambled to gather herbs from shelf-cracks. 

“It’s pointless, you know.” Thornpaw meowed. “He’s been complaining about his joints ever since I was a kit.”

“That isn’t the point. Aren’t the elders supposed to live out their twilight years in peace?”

Mousepaw finished rather quickly, surprising Thornpaw with both her skill and accuracy. She wrapped the poultice she created in a birch leaf from dropping it by Thornpaw’s feet.

“Do you need anything else?”

Thornpaw wracked his brain before speaking. “Moss. I was wondering if you had any extra so I didn’t have to wander around the forest blindly. “

“Oh StarClan, yes!” Mousepaw replied dramatically, making her way back to the herb store. “Duskbreeze made me spend all of yesterday collecting moss. He worries that with the temperature raises we might need to go down to the lake to collect water.”

The apprentice tom merely nodding without adding anything since his knowledge on medicine cat’s and their practices were limited.

“Why was he so tired today anyway? He walked out here looking like he walked into a badger den backward.”

Mousepaw perked her ears up. “Oh! Well, like I mentioned, he keeps pushing himself to gather more and more herbs in case we get attacked by the entirety of ShadowClan which, in my opinion, is a load of mouse dung.”

“Secondly, we had battle training this morning.”

“Battle training!?” Thornpaw blinked in surprise. “But you’re medicine cats!”

“Well, it was Lightningstar’s idea.” Mousepaw explained as she began to grab mouthfuls of moss. “He believes that everyone should know at least the basics of combat in case something were to happen.”

Thornpaw continued to stare at her with a confused expression when he suddenly got hit with the smell of flowers. He glanced around until he realized it was coming from the poultice wrap Mousepaw had given him. He sniffed it and instead of being hit with the scent of bitterness as he expected, the ThunderClan cat was hit with the aroma of freshness and sweetness similar to honey. Mousepaw noticed her friend’s perplexed face and her hazel eyes shimmered with pride.

“I added heather nectar to the mixture since Fireclaw complains about the smell so much. I also added the liquid from inside the burdock root to see if it would help numb his pain.”

Mousepaw dropped the moss right next to Thornpaw’s feet. “Spottedsong gave me the idea, to be honest. He said that when he gives the kits in ShadowClan herbs he usually adds heather nectar so they swallow it all.”

Thornpaw’s body when cold. Spottedsong, if he remembered correctly, was one of the medicine cat’s in ShadowClan, the Clan that had started the attack on that day. His neck fur bristled with anger.

“You spoke with him on the night of half-moon, right?”

The apprentice was making reference to the night the medicine cats from all Clan gathered to communicate with StarClan. While looking at him as if he grew a third head, Mousepaw gave her chest a couple of licks.

“Yes. Why?”

“Well, when you spoke with StarClan. Did they… Tell you anything?”

Mousepaw narrowed her eyes. “What are you getting at?”

Thornpaw lashed his tail. “I mean did they warn you about the attack! If you had known maybe-”

“You know a medicine cat can’t share what they saw when they spoke with StarClan.”

Thornpaw bared his teeth. “Blossompaw is dead because of ShadowClan!”

That sent the two into silence, causing the short she-cat to glance away from the tom. Several agonizing moments passed before anyone spoke again.

“I understand your pain.” Mousepaw murmured with melancholy dripping into her words. “She was my friend too-”

“-She was my sister!”

“I know! But this won’t bring her back… All this blaming and anger. Perhaps I can give you some thyme to-”

“Thanks for your help.”

Without letting her finish, Thornpaw picked up the poultice wrap and moss and rushed out of the den without another word. Although he was barely able to hold anything at once, the apprentice didn’t want to make two trips back into the den so continued with another word. As he climbed down the slope, he noticed his thick furred mentor chatting with a senior white and gray patched tom. When his mentor noticed him, he gave the apprentice a nod.

“How is the elder’s den coming along, Thornpaw?”

Thornpaw set both bundles down and tried to settle his fur. “Good. I just got the moss and some herbs for Fireclaw.”

The tom nodded once more. “When you are done, make your way to the clearing. I want to go over some fighting moves with you.”

Thornpaw’s heart skipped a beat. Eagerly ready to go do some real training, he snatched up the bundles and raced his way into the elder’s den. He was met with a glare from Fireclaw and a humorous twitch of her whiskers from Daisyflower.

“Where’s the fire, Thornpaw?”

Thornpaw explained what Smolderstripe told him all while pressing the poultice against Fireclaw’s joints. The ginger tom hissed at the pressure but didn’t move from his spot.

“Oh young toms,” Whitetoe chided teasingly as she licked her paw to swipe it over her ear. “All you ever think about is fighting.”

“As he should! Those foxhearted ShadowClan cats need a good clawing, especially what happened to that poor apprentice! Found dead in a badger set no less… Have they no shame!” 

Thornpaw winced at Fireclaw’s words but shook it off by trying to focus on sweeping the dead moss out of the den. Whitetoe noticed the apprentice’s discomfort and gave her denmate a sharp glare, who just ignored her. Daisyflower gave Thornpaw a look of confusion after tasting the air.

“Is that heather nectar?”

“Yeah Mousepaw-” Thornpaw frowned at the name. “-added it in so Fireclaw wouldn’t complain.”

“Mousepaw? Isn’t she one of the rogue cats?” Fireclaw spat. “I can’t believe Lightningstar would let a group of mangy rogues into the Clan. He’s disgracing the ThunderClan name!”

“Oh quiet you!” Whitetoe hissed. “Boulderstorm and Sootleap have been great additions to the Clan. Tell him, Daisyflower.”

Daisyflower nodded. “They’ve been nothing but loyal in the two moons they’ve been here.”

The russet-colored tom would’ve chimed in and defended his friend, but he was currently too angry at her to even consider protecting her honor.  _ Besides, I have training with Smolderstripe to think about! _

“Well, Sharpbreeze was telling me how the wild rogue she-cat snapped at her for playing with her kits!”

Whitetoe rolled her eyes. “I watched the event. Sharpbreeze was chasing the kits around the camp and nearly stepped on little Nutmeg. Vixen had every right to get defensive.”

“And that’s another thing!” Fireclaw lashed his tail. “How come they haven’t taken proper Clan names? At least the other three rogues had the decency to get correct names.”

“Well, it’s not any of our business is it?”

“Can you guys move, please? I need to get all the moss.” Thornpaw interrupted, growing tired of the elder’s quarrel.

“Certainly, Thornpaw. C’mon, you old coot.” Daisyflower said playfully, her back legs shaking as she stood.

Fireclaw grunted and followed the she-cat out of the den. As Whitetoe passed Thornpaw, she whispered into his ear.

“It’s okay to be sad. While you lost a sister, your mother and father lost a daughter, and I lost a gran-kit. There are people who understand your pain.”

Thornpaw flattened his ears once the elders left. He slapped a wad of dead moss away from him and watched it split into dozens of tiny pieces once it hit the den’s wall. Whitetoe’s words were similar to the ones Mousepaw said to him.

_ I wish everyone would stop treating me like I’m some helpless kit! _ He thought.

Although the sun had lowered from it’s peak, Thornpaw finally finished cleaning the den and throwing away the dried moss and came out to see the elders sunning themselves on the slope leading to nowhere. Whitetoe noticed her kin was finished and smiled.

“You better hurry up! Smolderstripe isn’t known for his patience.”

The tom merely nodded and dashed out of camp with newfound enthusiasm. As he exited the thorn walls, the scent of the forest reinvigorated him with a new purpose.

_ All those ShadowClan rats will  _ pay _! I’ll make sure of it _


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He wasn’t going to admit it, but Thornpaw thought he was going to die due to the heat. The moist air sank into his pelt leading him to leave a trail of sweaty paw prints. He could tell the lake wasn’t doing much better as it had receded quite a bit. Prey scent had also become faint, making him slightly anxious for the hunting patrol. He shook the thought away and focused on making it to the clearing at a reasonable time, fearing that Smolderstripe might cancel it if he was too late. 

He sprinted through the forest, taking note of all the green and brightly colored plants and trees that peppered the forest. It felt nice to get out and be alone for a few moments. 

_ If Lightningstar keeps making the apprentices reinforce the thorn wall I swear I’ll go drown myself!  _

After leaping over a rotted out fallen log, the tom pushed past a cluster of ferns and found inside in the small clearing ThunderClan used as their training area. Smolderstripe was absentmindedly grooming his fur when he noticed his apprentice gleefully padding up to him. The large cat’s brown eyes blinked in surprise.

“Well, you’re quite chipper,” Smolderstripe noted. “I suppose the elder’s den went well.”

“All except for Fireclaw complaining I wasn’t going fast enough,” Thornpaw grumbled.

Smolderstripe let out a sigh and gave his chest fur a few licks. “As much as I would like to scold and lecture you on being respectful to your elders, Fireclaw has been a burr in my side for the past two moons, continuously shouting in my ear about how some of our Clanmates are a scourge on our Clan.”

Thornpaw flicked his ear in annoyance. He really didn’t want to hear about Clan drama, especially drama related to Mousepaw. Smolderstripe took no notice of his apprentice’s discomfort and instead began to stretch. 

“Nevertheless, I think it’s time we stopped gossiping like queens and get to training. StarClan knows how much time we’ve wasted already.”

Thornpaw eagerly stood straighter as his mentor walked two tail lengths away. He turned and narrowed his eyes.

“This will be a test to see if you are ready for a  _ real _ battle. Use everything you know to help you in this fight. Now, attack me.”

The apprentice wasted no time in launching himself at the deputy. Smolderstripe easily side-stepped the blow but before he could counter-attack Thornpaw raised a sheathed paw and slammed it down on top of the other tom’s head, stunning him for a moment. However, before he could land another blow, Smolderstripe ducked and rammed his rather large head into Thornpaw’s chest then jabbing a paw into his neck. Thornpaw gasped at the sudden blow and stumbled backward. Smolderstripe took this opportunity to zip to Thornpaw’s side and slash at his flank, making sure his claws were tightly sheathed. Thornpaw winced as that side was still bruised from the attack and whipped to face the much larger tom. He sprung at the deputy and grappled onto his back and held on as tight as he could. Although he tried, Smolderstripe was still much more powerful which led him to easily shaking Thornpaw off.

“You’ll have to try much harder than that, Thornpaw.” 

Thornpaw snarled before rushing to his feet. He continuously swiped at Smolderstripe’s face whilst praying that at least one of his blows would land. His prayers failed as Smolderstripe merely took a few steps backward to avoid the attack making any contact. With a simple upward strike at one of Thornpaw’s raised legs, Smolderstripe managed to get the ThunderClan apprentice onto his back and pinned.

“Focus, Thornpaw, focus your mind not your paws. Let your mind guide your blows so they can always land. This will allow you to-”

The blood rushed into Thornpaw’s ears as his eyes clouded with rage. Suddenly, one swipe of the chest managed to cause Smolderstripe to flinch and loosen his grip on his apprentice. Thornpaw scrambled out from under the tom all while letting out shallow breaths. Once he was able to stop panting, Thornpaw began to notice his environment wasn’t exactly the same. Everything seemed wrapped and unfamiliar as if two time periods were clashing together. The heavy scent of blood and sweat filled his nose even though no one was bleeding. The roar of battle began to fill his ears as the scent of swamp entered his nose. Before he could react, a large figure slammed into the ground was much more force then his body was ready for. His head collided with the ground causing a faint ringing to fill his ears. 

“Thornpaw! What were you thinking?!”

Groaning, the tom blinked a couple of times to try to re-center himself. The forest seemed to return to its normal bright green leafiness with the clashing sounds of battle fading into nothingness with almost all scents disappearing. All except the scent of blood.

A red droplet splashed onto his nose which made Thornpaw flinch in surprise. He glanced up to see Smolderstripe’s chest was bleeding but just barely. This caused Thornpaw to let out a yowl of shock and he whipped his head to his paws. His claws were out with one paw’s set of claws tipped with blood. 

Thornpaw immediately sheathed his claws and struggled to break free. Smolderstripe pressed his body against his more, leading to all his apprentice’s movements being restricted. 

“What were you thinking, attacking not only your deputy but your mentor like that! I should have you cleaning all the dens for a week!”

The tom wasn’t listening with his ears pressed tightly against his head. The ringing only seemed to grow louder as a cold pit in his stomach grew. He attacked  _ Smolderstripe _ . This wasn’t an accidental mistake either, it was all on purpose. 

“Thornpaw? Hey Thornpaw, what’s wrong.”

Thornpaw realized that Smolderstripe had loosened up a bit and clawed his way onto his feet. Grooming himself was Thornpaw’s way of trying to relax as his legs shook.

Smolderstripe rested his tail on the apprentice’s flank. “What’s going on? You seem… Different. Angrier.”

Thornpaw shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Smolderstripe narrowed his eyes. “A “fine” cat wouldn’t have attacked his mentor. Is there something wrong?”

“No.” 

“No? You expect me to believe that?”

Thornpaw looked away. The shock and surprise in his body left him and was replaced with bitterness. 

“Thornpaw-” Smolderstripe started.

“Can I go now? I need… To clear my head.”

“Thornpaw-” Smolderstripe said more urgently.

“ _ Please? _ ”

Smolderstripe’s face didn’t betray any emotion. He instead nodded plainly.

“Be back at camp before sunfall. We’ll discuss…  _ This _ … Later.”

Thornpaw didn’t respond, inside turning away and disappearing into the thicket and leaving Smolderstripe to ponder.

\----

Thornpaw’s version of clearing his head was to aimlessly walk around and hunt until he could act like he had calmed down. He carried his prey, a finch, shrew, and a vole, back to camp with his head held down low. The guards at the entrance had changed with one of the inner guards noticing Thornpaw’s catches and nodded at him. 

“Evening, Thornpaw. That looks like quite a feast.”

“Thank you, Sandear,” Thornpaw muttered through a mouthful of wings and feathers.

“I hope I get to eat one of those. I’m starving!” complained one of the guards, a white she-cat. Thornpaw noticed the golden flecks in her fur were brighter up close.

Sandear rolled brown eyes. “The moon will rise soon. Be patient.”

Thornpaw pushed past them and made his way down the slope towards the fresh-kill pile. The hunting patrol must have come through since the pile was well stocked. Thornpaw placed his catches into the pile before scanning to see if there was anything to eat.

“Hi, Thornpaw!”

Thornpaw’s ears perked up as he turned his head. He saw a pretty long furred she-cat standing on a ledge with some of the elders. Her gray pelt blended in well with the rest of the nearby rocks. The elders, meanwhile, were busy munching on a rabbit with them lazily sprawled out. The young she-cat leaped into the heart of camp and padded over to the tom with his heart skipping a beat.

“Evening, Splashpaw.”

Splashpaw giggled causing his chest to grow tight. It was common knowledge amongst the apprentices that Splashpaw was quite the looker.

“‘Evening, Splashpaw’!” Splashpaw said teasingly. “You sound like an elder!”

Thornpaw shrugged, not trying to show that her comment had bruised his ego. 

“I saw what you caught. Excellent!”

“It wasn’t much,” Thornpaw said, “not compared to the rabbit, that is.”

Splashpaw looked away shyly. “Yeah… That was me.”

Thornpaw blinked. “You?”

“You should’ve heard Raveneye. He was praising me so much I’m pretty sure StarClan heard.”

“How did you manage to catch it?”

“I chased it into a stream where it got caught in a current,” Splashpaw explained. “I managed to fish it out and kill it all in one go.”

“Impressive,” Thornpaw said seriously.

“That’s what Whitetoe said!”

“Well, we are kin after all.”

“So. What are you going to eat?”

Thornpaw glanced at the pile. A magpie had caught his eye with him turning to look at the alluring she-cat once more. He opened his mouth to see if Splashpaw wanted to share with him when a joyous yowl filled the stone hollow. A patrol of cats entered cat with a storm cloud colored tom bounding in first, closely followed by a calmer black and gray tom. Splashpaw gasped with glee and made her way to the bottom of the slope.

“Darkpaw! How was your patrol?” she asked eagerly.

“Well, I’m happy to report that this Shadow-Rats will think twice before entering ThunderClan once more.”

Thornpaw’s eyes widened. Had the tom fought another patrol?

“Correction,” Darkpaw’s heather eyed companion butted in. “We marked up all the scents so ShadowClan wouldn’t try to fight us once more.”

Darkpaw rolled his eyes and batted the apprentice with his paw. “Must you be a stick in the mud, Owlpaw?”

“Must you always be an egomaniac?” Owlpaw replied cleverly.

“Boys, please!” Splashpaw butted in. “Let’s just go eat and relax, shall we?”

Splashpaw turned to face Thornpaw, who was awkwardly watching the whole conversation with annoyance. He wanted to decline since that meant spending time with Darkpaw, but Mousepaw and Duskbreeze’s exit from their den made him rethink his plan and he merely nodded.

“Wonderful!” Splashpaw cheered.

The group of apprentices surrounded the fresh-kill pile with eager intent. They all gathered their selected prey of choice and made their way to the cave they called the apprentice den. Thornpaw noticed that Mousepaw was watching him so he pretended to be more interested in his magpie as he trekked up the slope into the den. The cats pushed past the bramble tendrils that guarded the entrance to the den and began to cozy up into their nests. Thornpaw’s, although he was still physically close to the group, chose to focus on eating his meal and picking out the feathers to use as nest lining with his mind slipping deep into his thoughts.

_ Why did I attack Smolderstripe? Why was going back to  _ that  _ day?  _

Thornpaw tried to remain calm, but he still let out a small shiver of nervousness. If he couldn’t be trusted to properly complete a training exercise without harming one of his Clanmates, could he be trusted in doing  _ anything _ ?

_ Could Smolderstripe hold me back from becoming a warrior? Oh, StarClan, please don’t let that be the case! _

“Hey! Thornpaw! You deaf?”

The apprentice was jolted back to reality with everyone staring at him. His pelt grew hot under their gazes. Darkpaw rolled his eyes.

“Geez, and I thought Mousepaw had her head in the crowds.”

Thornpaw frowned. “What do you need?”

“Relax! We just wanna include you, you fussy ol’ tomcat. Did you sleep on a burr or something?”

Splashpaw swatted at Darkpaw. “Don’t tease him! He probably has a lot on his mind, unlike you.”

“What are you implying?” Darkpaw asked with a hint of fake threatening.

Splashpaw returned the tone with, “That your head is emptier than a hollow log!”

Darkpaw hissed and batted at Splashpaw who let out a pitched  _ mrow _ . Owlpaw rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to Thornpaw.

“Ignore them. We were discussing the next Gathering. What do you think?”

Thornpaw had forgotten all about the Gathering but after being reminded he immediately became interested. 

“Do you think Lightningstar will mention the battle?” he wondered out loud.

“Oh, you know Lightningstar,” Darkpaw said, acting as if the previous playful fight didn’t happen. “He won’t say anything outright but with be super passive-aggressive about the whole thing.”

“Sometimes poking the bee’s nest is better than your only other options are ignoring the problem or charging in head-on,” Owlpaw replied sagely.

“Oh, let’s stop talking about politics, it makes me break out in hives.” Splashpaw meowed. “I’m more excited about seeing the other Clans. The SkyClan cats are always fun to hang out with.”

“The less I see of ShadowClan the better.” Thornpaw meowed vaguely. 

“Agree,” Darkpaw said.

“I personally like hearing the leaders talk,” Owlpaw added. “It’s always fascinating to see how the other Clans operate.”

“Why must you talk about strategy when the chance to rub the fact that ThunderClan is the most important and best part of Gatherings. Seeing how the RiverClan apprentices nearly cry because you beat them in a race is always fun!”

“Didn’t a SkyClan apprentice beat you in a tree-climbing race?”

Darkpaw flattened his ears against his head. “Just because you’re my brother doesn’t mean I won’t throw you out of this den.”

Owlpaw licked his paw and swiped it against his ear. “I’d like to see you try.”

Splashpaw turned to Thornpaw. “What is your favorite part of Gatherings?”

Thornpaw was quiet for a few heartbeats. He didn’t really have a favorite part of the Gatherings. In fact, he never understood the fuss about them. Sure, they were fun to go to but he wouldn’t be upset if he wasn’t chosen to go. He thought about making up a favorite part until he remembered something.

“The view.”

Everyone looked at him perplexingly. Splashpaw was the first one to speak up after almost a minute of uncomfortable silence.

“The view?”

Thornpaw shrugged. “It’s nice to be able to see not only the entire lake but all of the territories as well. Makes the world seem… Bigger, you know.”

“That’s pretty deep for someone like you,” Darkpaw said with a hint of skepticism.

Thornpaw yawned. “Maybe.”

Without another word, Thornpaw curled up into a ball and listened as the other cats chat with each other without his presence. He didn’t really mind, knowing that no one would know that his favorite thing was Blossompaw as well.

He fell asleep and dreamed of nothing for the first time in a quarter moon.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“OW! That hurt, Spottedsong!”

“Keep wiggling and it’ll hurt even more!”

Violetpaw watched in amusement as the former medicine cat apprentice held down her black and brown brother at the same time smearing a sour-smelling herb paste onto this shoulder. The apprentice let out a small hiss of pain but stopped wiggling once Spottedsong released him from his grasp. The tortoiseshell let out a sigh of relief before glancing at Violetpaw. His warm yet exasperated yellow eyes met Violetpaw’s violet ones as he gracefully padded across the sandy floor towards his herbs supply. His paws moved almost on their own as he started to sort through the medicine.

“You know,” Spottedsong said, glancing away from Violetpaw, “Cedarstar may hold back your warrior ceremony.”

Violetpaw’s brother’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around. “You’re lying.”

Spottedsong merely shrugged before going back to his work, a smirk slowly creeping up onto his face. Violetpaw chuckled before walking over to flick her brother’s ear with her tail tip.

“C’mon, Toadpaw, you know he’s just teasing you.”

“Pretty mean joke,” Toadpaw grumbled.

Violetpaw snorted but didn’t say anything else. A slight breeze flowed through the bramble den and ruffled the fur of all three cats inside. Violetpaw began to groom herself but took the time to really look at her brother. He looked the same, same body type and fur color and length, but his amber eyes looked tired as if he had been drained of all energy. She rested her tail on his shoulder and gave him a concerned look.

“Are you okay? You look so… Dead.”

“M’fine,” he replied, though his dull eyes told a different story.

“He keeps waking up in the middle of the night plagued by nightmares,” Spottedsong explained. “He keeps eating my entire poppy seed store.”

Toadpaw glared at the tom. “What happened to medicine cat patient confidentiality?”

Spottedsong shrugged. “I respect having some secrets to yourself but I also respect the fact that you should never keep your family in the dark.”

His words made Violetpaw have to keep herself from flinching. No one, to her knowledge, knew about Spidermoon and Talonstep’s argument and, by extension, Talonstep’s affair. While she had seen the event unfold herself, she had no plans on revealing it to anyone.

_ StarClan knows what Cedarstar would do.  _ Violetpaw shivered as she imagined the tom’s piercing amber eyes.

“Regardless,” Spottedsong continued, “I think a mixture of thyme, chamomile, and poppy seeds will do the trick.”

Violetpaw nodded but she was too focused on Toadpaw and the predicament she was in. Could she tell Toadpaw? Well, she knew the answer was yes, she could easily tell in. But it was a question if she  _ should  _ tell the tom. She considered it carefully, but after hearing about his irregular sleep patterns, the she-cat thought twice about it. 

“Oh, StarClan!”

Both Violetpaw and Toadpaw perked up their ears. Spottedsong was staring at the herb store with clear annoyance with one paw hovering threateningly in the air. Violetpaw pushed her way towards the tom.

“What’s the matter?”

“Catmint. We’re out of it.”

Violetpaw with her lack of medical knowledge surprisingly knew what that one herb was. It was to treat coughs, specifically coughs related to whitecough and greencough. She glanced up at the tom with confusion.

“Isn’t it too early to whitecough?” 

“Thistledown’s kit caught an early case of whitecough and I haven’t had time to resupply it after… Well… You know.”

Violetpaw knew what he was referencing and didn’t press him.

“Why don’t you get Rowanfeather to get some.” Toadpaw piped up.

“He’s out collecting tansy and mallow leaves.”

Spottedsong’s gaze turned to Violetpaw. “Could you go out and tell him to grab some. If you’re not busy that is.”

“Can’t you do it?” Violetpaw asked with her head tilted.

“I have to make sure Toadpaw doesn’t sneak out the Dirtplace tunnel again.”

“That was one time!” 

Violetpaw smirked and dipped her head before making her way out of the den. The murky colored camp was surrounded by boulders and brambles with the scent of mud and moistness floating in the air hanging over the camp. Cats were hanging out around the camp with little to no care. Four kits were screeching and mewing as they raced across the camp to chase a mossball. Warriors dodged the tiny cats’ path in order to eat the remaining bits of prey that come from a pile of ferns. The sunlight dancing through the thick tree branches lead Violetpaw towards a black she-cat with exceedingly knotted fur. She was sharing prey with a dark brown tabby with equally matted hair.

“Greetings, Blackbriar!”

The yellow-eyed cat examined the apprentice with a tired glance.

“You seem more energetic the usual. What’s up?” 

“Spottedsong wanted me to ask you if it was okay to go and tell Rowanfeather he needs catmint.”

A perplexed look spread across the she-cat’s face. “Can’t he do it? He is the medicine cat after all.”

Before Violetpaw could reply, the tom next to Blackbriar let out a loud yawn and stretched. He folded his paws neatly under him as he laughed. “It’s Toadpaw. If Spottedsong turns his back for one second he’s gone.”

“Yes, but he’s been pretty quiet lately. He hasn’t pulled any pranks since the battle.” 

“He did try to escape through the Dirtplace tunnel.” Violetpaw pointed out.

“Yes, but anyone would after being trapped in that den for a quarter moon.” Blackbriar shook her head. “Whatever, just be back soon. We have sunfall patrol.”

Violetpaw before taking off in the direction of the Clan’s entrance. She nodded at the two cats guarding it before squeezing past the crooked boulder the camp used to guard the entrance. She skipped along into the swamp, making sure to not get her paws caught into any mud pits, which was an easier task then she thought would have been since almost every pit was dry as a bone. She also noticed many of the plants ShadowClan used to hide their scent were gone and all that was left were dead stalks. Violetpaw never felt so vulnerable in her own territory before, making her fur stand on add. The act of stalking through the pine trees was practically second nature to the ShadowClan apprentice, but the simple fact she wasn’t able to do any of the basic skills she was taught during the first moon of her apprenticeship was alarming.

_ Maybe the elders are right _ Violetpaw thought  _ Maybe this dry spell is more than just a short lack of rain _

After continuing the trek through the swamp and entering the upper part of the territory, the swamp faded away into nothing more than a lingering smell. The apprentice padded up a grassy slope with the overheated ground biting at her paw pads. She winced and raised a paw to give it a couple of licks before a friendly scent brushed past her nose.

_ Rowanfeather! _

Violetpaw bounded over towards the end of the scent trail with an extra boost of energy. Just as the first scent hit her, two more founded it’s way to her nose. She let out a purr before a snort of revulsion as a pleasant smell was quickly followed up by one of bitterness. Clearly judging that those were the smell of herbs, she continued to skirt around the tree line two see a small dark ginger tom huddled over a bed of yellow-headed flowers. Although short in stature, his black stripes gave the impression that he was a mini tiger.

_ Wonder why his parents never gave him the name Tigerkit instead of Rowankit  _ Violetpaw pondered as she made her way towards the medicine cat.

His ears shot up while he slowly turned his head to see the black and brown and white splotched she-cat trotting through the field of flowers. His whiskers twitched with child-like playfulness. “If you were my apprentice I would’ve scolded you for being so reckless in a field of perfectly good herbs.”

“Thankfully, I’m not Spottedsong,” Violetpaw replied with a smirk. 

“That you are definitely not, youngster,” the tom chuckled. “Though I must admit most of the flowers here are dead. Oh well. Thank StarClan I could collect enough.”

The elderly tom peered at the she-cat as he wrapped the flowers he collected in an ivy leaf. “Anyways, what brings you out here? I don’t think you came to share tongues with a frail cat like me.”

“Spottedsong sent me. You guys are almost completely out of catmint and he wanted me to tell you.”

Rowanfeather cursed slightly before reaching down to grasp a leaf wrap full of fuzzy purple flowers. He nodded towards the remaining bundle then started to limp towards the northernmost part of ShadowClan territory. Swiftly taking up the bundle in her jaws, Violetpaw followed closely behind the tom. Once the smell of the herbs inside her bundle hit her she gagged and glared at the medicine cat.

“How can you tolerate this?” she spat.

Rowanfeather shrugged. “Once you get as old as me, it doesn’t phase you anymore. Besides, you’re carrying the worst of the two.”

Violetpaw frowned but didn’t comment. She was too busy training to figure out where they were heading. The trees slowly started to disappear from sight and were replaced by the stumps of fallen trees. The unnatural structures from twolegs began to pop up from the horizon. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized where they were heading but Rowanfeather kept a blank face. Once they reached a blindingly white wooden wall that stood guard around one of the Twoleg structures, the senior medicine cat dropped the bundle in front of his feet prior to imparting serious yet levelheaded expression towards the nervous ShadowClan she-cat.

“You have no reason to be scared. They’re good cats even if they are a little crude.”

Violetpaw wanted to ask who “they” were but was cut off by Rowanfeather releasing a high pitch yowl that appeared to come from the very depths of his throat. The apprentice watched in awe as the medicine cat merely sat down and found himself grooming almost rigorously. She considered asking who the mystery “they” were then when she heard a scratching noise coming from the otherside of the wall. Before she could process what was happening, a rather plump pure white cat arose to the top of the wall with a glimmer of curiosity in his leaf green gaze. He raised an extra-toed paw before giving it a lick.

“Rowanfeather! It’s been a while, old friend. How is ShadowClan?”

Violetpaw gapped at her medicine cat as he returned the cat’s friendly greeting.

“Greetings, Cloud. ShadowClan is doing well. And yourself?”

“We’ve been great! Thanks for asking.”

Another cat appeared alongside the first, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He was smaller than the first, but equally as plump and his black coat shined just as much as the first. He glanced down and saw Violetpaw staring at him with wonder. The second cat grinned.

“What’s up, wildcat? Like what you see?”

Violetpaw’s inquisitiveness faded into disgruntlement at the cat’s remark. Her fur bristled up as her violet eyes narrowed into slits.

“And you’re just a kittypet.”

The tom smirked. “Wow! Nice deduction there, kitty.”

Before she was able to craft a retort, Cloud, the first cat, cuffed the second one in the back of the head with a hiss.

“Idiot!” he snarled. “Lucifer, may I remind you that these are  _ Clan  _ cats? They know about a dozen ways to tear your pelt off your body and would gladly do it to your fat butt!” 

_ You’re just fat as he is  _ Violetpaw wanted to say but kept it to herself.

Cloud looked down sympathetically at both Clan cats. “Sorry about Lucifer. He sometimes has as much sense as a brain dead squirrel.”

Rowanfeather’s tail waved nonchalantly as he spoke. “That’s quite alright. I’ve known some more unfriendly cats from my own Clan.”

Cloud smiled. “So what can I do for you, Rowanfeather and…?”

“Violetpaw.” the ShadowClan apprentice answered.

“Violetpaw! Did something happen to Spottedsong?”

Rowanfeather shook his head. “No, he’s quite alright. She’s training to be a warrior actually but she’s helping me with a task.”

“Ah, I knew something was up,” Cloud said, “you never come visit unless you need something.”

“Sorry, but we can chat later if you want. We just need to collect some of the catnip that is in your territory.”

Cloud glanced over at Lucifer before chuckling. “You Clan cats and your fancy words. Sure, come and grab some. There’s plenty for you to grab.”

“Just be quick,” Lucifer added. “The other cat that lives with us will tell our housefolk if she sees you.”

Rowanfeather dipped his head and shakily bunched up his muscles to launch himself over the wall. For an elder, he managed to complete the jump with only his back paws grazing the top. 

“Stay over on the other side!” the tom called to Violetpaw. “I’ll have Cloud and Lucifer drop the leaves to you and you can stuff them into the bundles.”

“Alright!” Violetpaw shouted back.

The arrangement went pretty well, although Violetpaw felt uncomfortable being so close to both kittypets and the Twolegplace. The sun was lowering in the sky once Rowanfeather deemed their harvest to be bountiful enough. The tom grunted as he landed unsteadily next to Violetpaw, who was holding one of the mouth-watering herb bundles. It was taking all of her self control from eating all the catmint.

“Be safe,” Cloud said after the Clan cats began saying their goodbyes. “There have been some strange cats moving around here late at night.”

Rowanfeather looked concerned. “Rogues?”

Lucifer shook his head. “No, and they were  _ definitely  _ not kittypets, though one was just as big as one.”

“We’ll keep a lookout for any strange characters. May StarClan light your path.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Good luck, Rowanfeather.”

The white and black cats disappeared from sight just as the ShadowClan cats started to travel back to camp. Violetpaw peered up at her elder as they walked.

“I don’t understand how you can be so close to kittypets. Does Cedarstar know?”

“No, and I intend to keep it that way,” Rowanfeather explained. “Cedarstar is a… Fine leader, but his almost blind loyalty to ShadowClan makes him extremely biased and judgemental towards other Clans or other cats in general. While I can’t say I’d ever enjoy living in a small territory and relying upon twolegs for my every need, I can see why some cats appreciate that lifestyle.”

Violetpaw nodded, but memories of her parent’s fight invaded her thoughts. She remembered that her father mentioned the kittypet he had an affair with by the name of Cookie, a name Violetpaw thought foreign and unnatural.

_ Did those two cats know who she was? And… Did they know Talonstep? _

Her questions were left answered as the two were swallowed up by the pine forest and their scents fading into only a memory.


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Violetpaw and Rowanfeather’s return wasn’t met with a grand audience, but they were welcomed by a grateful Spottedsong.

“Are you alright, Rowanfeather? How are your legs? Did you get hurt?”

Rowanfeather shoved the longer-legged tom away with an eye roll. “For StarClan’s sake, Spottedsong, I’m old but I’m not dead yet. You don’t need to fret over me like I am some sort of newborn kit.”

Spottedsong ignored his mentor to give Violetpaw a smile. “Thank you for looking out for him.”

Violetpaw nodded though had to hold in a chuckle as the older tom grumbled about his apprentice. She glanced up at Spottedleaf after making sure no one was around to hear. “Do you know about… Our mutual friend?”

Spottedleaf blinked before nodding slowly. “Yes, I was just as surprised as you were when I met Cloud.”

“Wait, Lucifer wasn’t there before?”

“No,” Spottedsong explained. “Lucifer showed up one season ago when he was a kit.”

“And to be clear, Violetpaw.” Rowanfeather meowed seriously. “You mustn’t tell Cedarstar. Our mutual friends do not need to be dragged into our conflicts.”

Violetpaw dipped her head respectfully but couldn’t help but feel guilty for doing so.  _ Have I just become apart of another web of lies? _

She watched as the two walked back to their home before she noticed her brother sunning himself outside of the den. Violetpaw followed the two medicine cats before stopping in front of her brother. She gave him a playful headbutt which he returned graciously.

“How is the mighty warrior now? Feeling better after your romp through your own dreams?”

“Hey! I wasn’t my choice to be trapped in a musky old den or to be jumped by a Thunder-Squirrel.”

Violetpaw rolled her eyes. “Regardless, it’s nice to see you moving.”

Toadpaw didn’t reply. In fact, the two just began grooming each other while just embracing each other’s company. The buzzing of flies was the only other sound to be heard other than the busy noise of camp. As to ShadowClan’s customs, the Clan mostly were active at night which became apparent when warriors started to trickle out of their den. The apprentices watched as a fluffy black she-cat climbed her way unto a lower branch then hung over the camp and began talking to the cats below.

“Hollyclaw is pretty scary, isn’t she?” Toadpaw whispered.

Violetpaw nodded. Even from a distance, she could see the tips of her gleaming white claws amongst her night colored fur. She shivered as the ShadowClan’s deputy’s gaze shifted to almost every member in camp, including her and Toadpaw. 

“She was the one that helped me, though, when that apprentice attacked me,” Toadpaw said as he glanced down at his paws. “She did yell at me for not noticing him, however.”

Violetpaw’s ear flicked in annoyance. She respected her deputy, but her blunt nature made her want to scream. The ShadowClan apprentice noticed her brother’s shoulder wound wasn’t covered by any cobwebs or herbs. She tilted her muzzle in the direction of his shoulder and meowed. “How does your shoulder feel?”

Toadpaw licked it nonchalantly, but Violetpaw watched as he winced slightly at the touch. “It’s fine, I guess. Spottedsong told me it’d scar but I’m not too worried.”

“Your first battle scar!” Violetpaw purred. “And it’s in a cool spot. I just have a minor nick in my ear.”

Toadpaw shrugged but he didn’t seem too interested in talking about scars. He instead gave his chest fur a few licks. “What are you going to do?”

“I have sunfall patrol. Do you wanna join me?”

Toadpaw blinked. “Can I?”

“If Spottedsong lets you, you can.” Violetpaw corrected.

For the first time in the conversation, the black and brown tom let out a genuine smile as he stood. His amber eyes shone with excitement He scurried into the medicine cat den all while yowling for both Rowanfeather and Spottedsong. Violetpaw purred in amusement at her brother’s tone.

_ It’s nice to see him excited for real. I wonder if the medicine den has gotten to him? _

Violetpaw yawned and stretched then started making her way towards to sad excuse of a freshkill pile. All that remained was a tiny shrew and two skinny lizards. Not wanting to complain, she began to reach down to grab the shrew before she heard her name be called. Violetpaw whipped her head towards the warrior’s den to see her pretty black-furred mother laying properly with a rather large frog by her paws. Violetpaw mewed and scampered over to her mother, touching her nose once she reached the gray striped cat.

“How are you, Violetpaw? You and your brother seem distant this past quarter moon.” 

Violetpaw’s tail twitched. She knew her brother was acting odd for reasons most likely related to the battle at both the SkyClan and ThunderClan borders, but how could she explain she knew about her father’s infidelity? She shifted her paws uncomfortably before speaking.

“Well, I’ve been trying to become as strong of a fighter as Lynxpaw and Stormpaw,” Violetpaw lied, feeling guilty on how nature it felt to do so. “So me and Blackbriar have been training a lot.”

“Blackbriar and I,” Spidermoon corrected, “and you know that Lynxpaw and Stormpaw have been training for four moons. It’s natural that they have more experience in their apprenticeship then you.”

Spidermoon nuzzled her daughter’s cheek before sliding her the frog. “Here. You look like you need it.”

The frog was greedily torn up by the apprentice the moment the scent of it entered her nose. After taking a few small mouthfuls, Violetpaw swallowed and pushed the piece of prey back over to Spidermoon who was equally eager to tear into it. The two finished the prey after swapping it back and forth then moved to share tongues under the sluggishly setting sun.

“Where have you been, Mom?”

Spidermoon without a hint of hesitation spoke. “I admit, Cedarstar’s eagerness for grabbing more territory has me nervous especially with the Gathering coming in just two days. ThunderClan and SkyClan are definitely not going to take this laying down.”

Violetpaw snorted. “Who cares what those scrawny birds and those lazy birds have to think? We have the most members out of every Clan so we could easily take them down.”

Spidermoon paused at her daughter’s words before sweeping her gaze across the camp. “Look around you. Do you remember the last time the Clans have ever thought of a large scale battle, much less a war?”

“Probably when Whitefang was a kit,” Violetpaw replied with a teasing tone in her voice.

Spidermoon cuffed the side of Violetpaw’s head playfully. “Respect your elders, young’un!”

The two shared a chuckle but then Spidermoon’s amber eyes glossed over to a serious glare. “I’m serious, Violetpaw. A war like this could splitter the Clans for seasons, maybe even generations. I don’t want my grandkits to suffer from their Clan’s mistakes.”

Violetpaw didn’t know what to say. Everything her mother had said contradicted what both her leader and mentor was telling her: That ShadowClan  _ needed  _ to spread out and gain more territory to expand not just their land and status, but to show off ShadowClan pride. Suddenly, she was reminded of what Rowanfeather had told her.

_ “Cedarstar is a… Fine leader, but his almost blind loyalty to ShadowClan makes him extremely biased and judgemental towards other Clans or other cats in general.” _

_ Maybe Rowanfeather has a point… Perhaps this whole territory struggle is getting  _ too  _ out of hand _ .

Violetpaw was going to express this revelation, but she heard a sharp yowl and both cats perked their ears up. Hollyclaw was standing with Blackbriar and a black apprentice in front of the entrance to the camp. She excused herself and padded over to the deputy. Hollyclaw’s piercing green eyes caused Violetpaw’s heart to beat faster. The fluffy she-cat lifted a paw and licked it twice before swiping it against her ear.

“Good. Now we’re missing is-”

“Spottedsong said yes!”

Hollyclaw let a low growl as Toadpaw scrambled over to the group. The deputy’s tail swished back and forth out of annoyance. 

“I thought you were trapped in the medicine cat den. Were you  _ lying  _ this entire time?”

Toadpaw ignored the suspicion in Hollyclaw’s voice and instead choose to continue speaking in his friendly tone. “Spottedsong said the wound on my shoulder was healing so I could go on this patrol. He just said not to push myself.”

Hollyclaw looked like she was going to argue, but Blackbriar leaned over and whispered in her ear. Sighing, Hollyclaw glared at the shorter tom.

“Fine, just don’t fall behind. We’re going to be patrolling along the SkyClan border and I need to know that everyone won’t fall apart if a patrol comes by.”

Suddenly, Toadpaw’s friendly demeanor dropped and his tail lowered. Violetpaw noticed he appeared stiffer so she nudged his uninjured shoulder in the hopes of shaking him back to his normal. Meanwhile, Hollyclaw was hissing at the other apprentice in the group.

“Sparrowpaw, where in StarClan’s name is your mentor?!”

“Talonstep said he needed to use the Dirtplace! I don’t know when he’ll-”

“I’m here, Hollyclaw.”

Violetpaw’s heart lurched at the sight of her father. He had pushed is way inside with a toad dangling from his mouth. His fur smelled of toadstools, most likely from him rolling in the mushroom to hide his scent from his prey.

_ Or the fact he had been at the Twolegplace place. _

“Where have you been?” Hollyclaw spat.

“Hunting. I went to the Dirtplace and smelled a toad hopping around so I went to catch it.”

“Must be a pretty stupid toad to be so close to camp.” Hollyclaw snorted. “Whatever, put it in the freshkill pile and come back. We need to leave soon, preferably  _ now _ .”

Talonstep dipped his head and made his way toward the pile without another word. Violetpaw watched as her mother noticed the tom and, without breaking character, turned her head away and began grooming her flank. Violetpaw padded over to Smokepaw.

“Sparrowpaw,” she whispered.

The young apprentice smiled brightly. “Hey, Violetpaw! What’s up?”

“Has Talonstep acted… Weird lately?”

Sparrowpaw shrugged. “He’s always been aloof since I’ve known him. But if he keeps running off to go to make dirt I might need to send him to the elder’s den.”

Violetpaw could tell he was teasing, but Smokepaw unintentionally exposed her biggest fear. 

_ He’s still seeing Cookie. _

Once Talonstep returned, Hollyclaw lead the group into the swamp and pinewood forests of ShadowClan territory. The lands were slowly succumbing to the shadows the Clan got their name from. The daylight that most cats cherished faded from the lake, leading dark-colored cats to swiftly blend in their surroundings. It didn’t take long until a tiny patch of lavender to be found, leading to the group to roll in the cluster of flowers to hide their scent. As they grew closer, Violetpaw noticed how eerily silent everyone was.

Hollyclaw was always a silent cat unless something bothered her. Any other time the she-cat was just a quiet menace with her known talent in battle backing any interaction. Blackbriar was Hollyclaw’s complete opposite, a great hunter with an equally loud mouth. But Violetpaw felt uncomfortable with the fact her chatty mentor suddenly shut her mouth for seemingly no reason. Sparrowpaw was surprisingly silent as well. Usually the piece of sunlight in a group, the young apprentice was quiet except for asking their mentor a couple of questions. Talonstep didn’t seem as interested in his apprentice’s queries and brushed him off each time, causing Violetpaw to lash her tail.

_ Just because you have a new mate doesn’t mean you get to ignore him! _

The last cat was Toadpaw. His uneven steps and stiff fur made the she-cat nervous. She fell back to walk beside him to see if he was okay.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured. “Is your shoulder giving you trouble?”

Toadpaw shook his head and continued walking. Moments later, he raised his head and called out for Hollyclaw.

“Hollyclaw! I need to make dirt.”

Hollyclaw released a long groan. “StarClan, are you serious?! Why couldn’t you do that when we were at camp.”

“Because you urged us to leave early!” Violetpaw cut in with an attempt to physically shield Toadpaw from irritate gaze.

The imposing she-cat sighed with clear displeasure leaking through her voice. “Fine, but we’ll be continuing without you.”

Toadpaw nodded solemnly before turning and diving into a collection of ferns with the group leaving him behind. Violetpaw’s heart twisted as she watched his shadow slink away. 

“Like father, like son, am I right?”

Violetpaw jolted at the hot breath in her ear. She turned to see a pair of yellow eyes staring up at her with mischievous intent. She flicked her ear twice then let out a snarl.

“Don’t do that! And don’t say that about my brother!”

Sparrowpaw winced at her words and tilted his head down. Violetpaw instantly felt bad and nudged the tom.

“Cheer up. You’ll get to see the sight of the battlefield.” she purred.

“Yeah, I was selected to stay in camp,” Sparrowpaw grumbled. “But I saw Talonstep get to go out of camp. Lucky.” 

Violetpaw felt Talonstep’s gaze bore into both of the cat’s pelt’s. She had to contain a shiver, for Violetpaw feared he might figure out she knew his secret. Instead of talking to them, Talonstep faced forward without speaking to either cat. Sparrowpaw noticed his fellow apprentice’s silence and followed her gaze.

“I wish he’d stick around more, you know? I can’t imagine how your mother feels.”

The ShadowClan she-cat didn’t respond. She chose to continue the rest of the trip in silence. Once the group reached the border, Hollyclaw signaled for them to fan out. A breeze blew downwind towards the SkyClan lands. Violetpaw shook her fur while Hollyclaw started to give out orders.

“Sparrowpaw and Talonstep will watch for SkyClan. Blackbriar, Violetpaw, and I will start marking with me at the top of the border. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, some more reluctantly than others, and moved to their stations. Talonstep’s cold green eyes stared down at his swiftly moving apprentice. “What do you smell, Sparrowpaw?”

“SkyClan! And blood.”

Talonstep’s eyes widened just as Violetpaw’s did. “Blood?”

“It’s old though, very. The SkyClan scent is more recent. Probably from this afternoon.”

“Did those plucked birds cross over the line?” Hollyclaw called from over her shoulder.

Sparrowpaw tasted the air. Before he could speak, the air was swarmed with the sound of collective hissing. Every cat in the ShadowClan group perked up with their claws immediately unsheathing. A large white tom prowled out from the tall grass with a snarling white-spotted she-cat following close behind. Hollyclaw used her tail to command the group to form up. As five more cats appeared from the grass, Hollyclaw pushed herself to the very tip of the border with her eyes not moving away from the white tom’s.

“Cloudsky.” she nodded curtly.

“Hollyclaw.” the tom meowed back.

“Go back to the swamps, rats!” the she-cat next to Cloudsky spat as her white spots and brown fur raised.

Cloudsky hissed at his Clanmate, making her slink back into the crowd. She stood next to a short-legged apprentice who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, making Violetpaw almost pity the cat.

“Perhaps your Clanmates should learn to hold their tongue.” Hollyclaw meowed cooly.

“And perhaps you should teach your warriors not to steal our land!” another apprentice shouted, his amber eyes sparkling with rage.

Hollyclaw gave Cloudsky a smirk. “See what I mean?”

Cloudsky ignored the she-cat. “What do you want, Hollyclaw? I don’t suppose you can here for idle chatter.”

“We’re here to remark  _ our  _ borders. What are  _ you  _ doing here, crowfood!” Blackbriar hissed. The black-furred cat crept forward to stand alongside her deputy.

“We’re here to do the same,” Cloudsky explained. “We have no quarrel with you, but we must inform you if you don’t respect our borders we  _ will  _ fight you.”

“I respect the fact our leader may  _ push _ those borders,” Hollyclaw said.

The SkyClan cats growled in unison with the gray apprentice next to the she-cat flattening himself against the ground. The ShadowClan cats, reacting to the hostility, reacted swiftly as well. Violetpaw watched in horror as the two groups started to break the distance and inch closer and closer.

_ Oh StarClan! Please! We don’t need another reason to go to war! _


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Ah! Isn’t it a beautiful day, Kestrelpaw? What could be better than this?”

“Sleeping in… For once.”

The two medicine cats were sauntering across the WindClan moor without any real speed backing their movements. The pale brown and white she-cat was too busy taking in the sights to see her apprentice sluggishly trailing behind her with contempt in their amber eyes. Morning dew clung to their fur just as the moistness from the previous night’s heat persisted through and made the idea of a cool dawn vanish. The sun was only halfway up in the sky with the moon still shining its remaining light down on the lake. Kestrelpaw glanced up at the white sphere and shivered.

_ Great… The Gathering is tomorrow. This means I’m going to have to listen to Hareear wax poetic about its importance for the rest of the day. _

Meanwhile, the senior medicine cat was constantly checking for any signs of herbs and berries, getting increasingly nervous when few turned up and even fewer were viable.

“Can’t StarClan bless us with one rainy day?” Hareear said with a touch of sadness in her tone.

“They’re too busy chasing star mice around the star pool while discussing the star territories to notice us,” Kestrelpaw grumbled.

Hareear glared at her. “You need to learn to respect your ancestors, young one.”

“I thought I needed to learn how to heal and tell dying cats they aren’t dead yet.”

Hareear continued to silently glare at her apprentice before sighing and turning her back towards the young cat. Kestrelpaw couldn’t help but smirk at their mentor’s defeated expression. They sent a quick prayer that she’d reconsider being her teacher, but deep down Kestrelpaw knew Hareear was too stubborn to give up that easily. 

_ She’d convince a mouse that it’s secretly a hawk if she really wanted to.  _ The apprentice thought.

The two traveled in silence with only the warm morning breeze providing the ambiance the moor desperately needed. Although their hearing was clouded, Kestrelpaw could feel the vibrations of the lake water crashing into the shore through their paws. They could also taste the bitter scent of the rainbow water the twolegs’s monsters bleed into the lake. Kestrelpaw scrunched up their nose and gagged. Hareear perked her ears up.

“What happened?”

Kestelpaw’s peered over at the body of water with disgust. “Twolegs. They’ve infected the water again.”

“Well, at least they haven’t spent too much time at the lake this greenleaf due to the heat,” Hareear said. “I will warn the patrols about it, however. I don’t need half a dozen warriors lining up at our den complaining about an upset stomach.”

Kestrelpaw flicked their ear. “ _ Your  _ den.”

Hareear hesitated before speaking. “Yes… My den…”

The two walked in silence after that exchange with Kestrelpaw noticing that the she-cat seemed more interested in her paws then what was in front of her. Kestrelpaw tried not to care, seeing as they were forced to spend their apprenticeship with this plant-loving loon, but the despair in her brown eyes felt like a thorn to Kestrelpaw’s heart. The apprentice drew their tail across the long-eared cat’s pelt without a word. Hareear glanced up with her mouth shifting into a smile and ended with Kestrelpaw letting out a sigh.

_ This she-cat is torturing me… I know it. _

Once they made it to the river that bordered the WindClan and ThunderClan territories, Hareear instinctively began searching for herbs and other medicinal plants. Kestrelpaw had chosen to aimlessly wander the area all while taking glances over the border. They noticed that the ThunderClan scent was extra powerful over on their side of the border with WindClan keeping its regular potency. The apprentice tasted the air once more to see if it was merely their nose acting up but immediately regretted it as the scent of oak and ThunderClan cats overpowered them.

_ Great StarClan! Are they  _ trying  _ to poison us with their stench!? _

Instead of an answer, Kestrelpaw was met with Hareear’s deafening caterwaul. They whipped their head to be greeted by their mentor’s eager stare.

“Kestrelpaw!” she purred. “Can you tell me what this herb is?”

Using her tail tip, Hareear pointed to a tall stemmed plant. Its bristly leaves shuddered in the wind. 

Kestrelpaw wasn’t rabbit-brained. They knew it was horsetail, one of the first herbs the WindClan cat learned under Hareear’s tutelage. However, if Hareear believed their apprentice of three moons didn’t know their herbs…

“Fennel,” Kestrelpaw said with a voice filled with presumption.

They wanted to cheer when Hareear’s hopeful look melted into one of disappointment, even with sharp shards of ice stabbing into their heart. Instead of scolding or getting overly upset about the mistake, Hareear shook her head and gave them a friendly beam.

“Sorry, but it’s actually horsetail.” Hareear carefully pulled up a few stalks with her teeth. “I do understand the confusion, though, both often grow on river banks. Still, this just shows me we have to work on your herb recognition skills.” 

Kestrelpaw wanted to scream and tear their fur out. They wanted to dig their claws into Hareear and shake them, yelling at her that they didn’t want to do this anymore. Despite all that, Kestrelpaw chose to instead dig their claws into the hard soil and gride their teeth together. It took Hareear a few moments before they realized that their apprentice wasn’t helping. She looked her up and down before speaking.

“Are you feeling well? It’s alright to make mistakes, you know. When I was apprentice, I-”

“I’m fine.” Kestrelpaw butted in. They really didn’t want to listen to Hareear try to spin their “mistake” into a life lesson that included segments of her own life. 

The fledging medicine cat reached down and began to pull up parts of the horsetail, ignoring Hareear’s advice on proper herb pruning (“Bite off the stems but leave the end so it can grow back. And be gentle!”) and followed her instructions on how to weave the grass together so they could use the grass to carry the herbs, even though Kestrelpaw had memorized the  technique during the first moon of their apprenticeship. 

_ Perhaps I should just become a medicine cat already  _

Kestrelpaw shook their head and growled. The last thing they wanted was to become a full medicine cat since that would solidify their fate and permanently trap them in this position. 

Hareear continued to lead them deeper into WindClan territory by following the shallow river. Kestrelpaw couldn’t understand how Hareear could handle the smell of ThunderClan but didn’t press her on it; pressing her would mean that Kestrelpaw would have to deal with her mentor’s fretting for, at a minimum, a moon. They reached a bed of flowers and a cluster of leaves that Kestrelpaw instantly identified as chamomile and lungwort respectively. Kestrelpaw could understand the lungwort, it was well known that the previous leaf-bare had poisoned the Clans with a horrible bout of yellowcough, with some Clans being more heavily infected than others, but the chamomile perplexed them.

“Chamomile? Why do we need that?”

Hareear’s whiskers twitched with amusement. “So… You  _ can  _ identify herbs.”

Kestrelpaw didn’t respond but felt slightly betrayed that Hareear could see through their ruse. The WindClan medicine cat used her claw to clip away at the flower’s heads as she spoke. “I think you can understand why we have to have lungwort nearby, but the chamomile… That’s for Hawkstar.”

Kestrelpaw blinked in surprise. “Hawkstar?”

Hareear nodded before adding the flowers to her grass woven herb carrier. “I fear that she has been in a bit of a mood lately. I’ve noticed she has been snapping off at the Clan more, especially at poor Gorsewhisker. That poor tom’s heart is going to give out before he even has a chance at becoming a leader.”

“I haven’t noticed anything different about her.” Kestrelpaw countered with a glare.

“When you become fully trained as a medicine cat, you’ll know how to observe the Clan and see who is hurting without having to wait for them to come to you.”

Hareear stretched and yawned before signaling for them to follow. Kestrelpaw just sighed and followed. They didn’t want to have to listen to Hareear’s ramblings any longer then they had too. But the mention of Hawkstar made their fur bristle.

“Why should we care what Hawkstar does? She’s been called the Secluded Star for a reason.” Kestrelpaw said, referencing the nickname the rest of the Clans (with a few in WindClan) gave the independent leader.

“You hold your tongue!” Hareear surprisingly spat. “I know you hold some… Negative views on Hawkstar but she is still your leader and you should respect her.”

“Have you forgotten that she was the one that forced you to have me as your apprentice?” Kestrelpaw’s voice turned into an icy cold chill.

Hareear visibly winced and whatever bravery she still had was lost. The she-cat grew more interested in the dusty ground as she spoke. “Hawkstar has her reasons-”

“-And I have my reasons on why I shouldn’t care about her.” 

The two walked in silence, but the air was so heavy around them. They had left the border and started to climb the slopes that moor was famous for. Although the tall grass and the swiftly rising sun would’ve settled Kestrelpaw’s nerves, their normal grounding techniques were failing due to anger building in their chest. Kestrelpaw could still remember the indifference in Hawkstar’s eyes when Kestrelpaw begged her to let them be a warrior.

“I know this probably isn’t the right time for this,” Hareear started as the duo stopped at a collection of poppy flowers. “But since we’re on the topic of cats we don’t trust… Are you finally going to tell me why I found you sharing a nest with Goosepaw?”

Kestrelpaw groaned. Hareear had found the two curled up a couple of sunrises ago and had made it her mission to weasel out the truth. Kestrelpaw tore off a dried poppy head while they spoke. “I’ve already told you. There weren’t enough nests so I had to sleep with Goosepaw.”

It was true, but Kestrelpaw wasn’t going to tell their mentor that their sister had thrown away their nest because she gained some sick form of pleasure from constantly bullying her siblings. If they did tell her, Hareear would go around demanding apologies and make Kestrelpaw even more of a social pariah.

Hareear clearly didn’t believe it since she narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve developed  _ that  _ kind of relationship with him.”

Kestrelpaw’s nose scrunched up. “I’m not interested in toms  _ or  _ she-cats. I just needed a place to sleep for the night. That’s all.”

“I don’t believe you’re telling me the truth,” Hareear replied.

Kestrelpaw lashed their tail. “Don’t believe me, see if I care!”

“Don’t yell at me, I’m just protecting you for your own good.” Hareear snapped back.

“Isn’t that what everyone says!?” Kestrelpaw snarled, pressing themselves into Hareear’s personal space. “That’s what Hawkstar said when I was forced to become a medicine cat, that’s what my parents said when I tried to tell me my identity was wrong, that’s what every cat says when they pity me. Well, maybe I should get together with Goosepaw. I’ll have dozens of kits so everyone won’t have to pity me anymore. But you want to pity me, don’t you, Hareear? It makes you feel like a good person, doesn’t it?!”

“Kestrelpaw, I-”

The apprentice didn’t listen. Instead, they hastily took hold of the bundle of herbs they had dropped by their feet and dashed for the direction of camp. They could faintly hear Hareear calling to them and saw that some of the herbs had flown out of the bundle, but choose to disregard that fact. Their short fur felt hot along with their racing heart. They felt the need to dig their claws into something, like a rabbit or a maybe Hawkstar’s neutral face. As they descended the slope that deeper into camp, they refused to return the greetings given to them by the camp entrance guards, even though the two of them had joyfully called out to them. They trudged deeper into the camp while ignoring the stares. Angrily shoving their way into the medicine cat den, they tossed their herbs and watched as it crashed into the wall. Kestrelpaw whipped their head to try and leave but were halted by the sudden heaviness in their paws.

They turned their head and glanced at the fallen herbs. Kestrelpaw, against what they wanted to feel, felt guilty. 

_ Hareear isn’t to blame for this _ Kestrelpaw thought as they padded towards the pile.

But once they reached the bundle, Kestrelpaw shook their head and stormed out.

_ But they are the ones keeping me in this position. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I had to spend a few days at an elderly relatives' house to help them since one of them just had surgery :(. Hope you enjoyed!


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